City Leader Leading Recovery Efforts at Hurricane Melissa's Worst-Hit Area
The mayor of the town of Black River – a community described as “the epicenter” for Hurricane Melissa – has shared the immense flooding and widespread destruction caused by the catastrophe.
Speaking on the traumatic experience, the mayor described enduring the intense storm at an emergency operating centre.
“Our community of Black River is in ruins,” he stated. “The destruction is so severe that the prime minister designated this area as ground zero.”
Five individuals from Black River are confirmed to have died, but the mayor mentioned hearing reports of other deaths that are still being verified due to communication and travel challenges.
“The hurricane came around eight in the morning and lasted for around nine hours, during which we were battered with heavy winds and torrential rainfall,” he added.
“We got up to 4.8 metres of flooding at the response center. It was a frightening moment for us, and we were praying that it would not rise any more, because we were on the upper level, and I tell you, when we saw the water climbing, it was a scary experience for us.”
The mayor stated that the town, located in the hard-hit southwest region of the area, is without running water and electricity, and the majority of buildings have had their roofs. One official earlier characterized the town as under water, with more than 500,000 residents lacking electricity. A landslide has obstructed the main roads of Santa Cruz, where streets have been reduced to muddy tracks. Locals are now sweeping water from their houses and trying to salvage their belongings.
Rescue efforts and damage assessments have proven almost impossible because every one of the town’s transport and essential facilities such as firefighting, law enforcement, medical centers and supermarkets were “severely damaged,” says the mayor.
The mayor is now focused on working to assist the neediest residents, while also dealing with the personal impact of the devastation.
“The mayor's car was totally submerged by water. The roofing was lost, so I fully grasp the suffering that persons are feeling, but what is a priority for me now is to focus on securing assistance for the most at-risk at this point,” he says.
The mayor believes that it will take billions of Jamaican dollars to restore the community after Melissa’s annihilation. For now, he says, the main goal is clearing impassable roads, which have cut off the town.
“Efforts are underway to get the major thoroughfares and secondary routes here so that we can get aid in. The majority of our supermarkets, if not all, were severely affected so they will be unable to provide supplies to persons who are in need at this time,” he says.
National leadership has seen the damage personally, with an flyover of the region revealing the vast majority of buildings in the area had been destroyed.
“It is going to be a massive task to restore Black River. But although it is destroyed, we can envision a tomorrow of it rising stronger and better,” he told local media.
“We will get it done. So keep the positive outlook, remain hopeful, and we will overcome this challenge, and we will rebuild better,” he affirmed.
